One day you sit down at your computer. Press the button on the system unit or laptop. And in the next few minutes you realize that the day begins in a strange way. Namely, that Windows 7 won't boot. Or a strange screen loads with a bunch of incomprehensible messages, but for some reason with the Windows logo. This usually predicts that you will spend some time enjoying the fun of rebuilding your system.
And the awkward fact that anything can be the reason for such a not very funny event. Starting from the failure of the system itself, ending with the tricks of malware. We do not take into account a hardware failure, since this option can either take from an hour to several days or end with the replacement of components. In the case of malicious programs, you can always try to restore the system by scanning an anti-virus LiveCD, for example, from Dr.Web CureIt.
But what if the problem is not in sinister viruses and problematic hardware? Is it trite, in damage to one of the system libraries due to a malfunction of the Windows operating system? Let's think about it. The first thing that comes to mind is to open the disc box and find the coveted Windows installation disc. So you crawled into the box, and suddenly you realize that the day continues to delight you. There is simply no disk. Cold sweat sweats over you. You start thinking further. "Hmm. But I was not too lazy at one time and created a bootable Windows recovery disk according to the instructions on ida-freewares!". And with relief in your soul, you begin to revive your fallen system.
Note: The following instructions apply to Windows 7 / Vista. For the case of Windows XP, it is better to use special assemblies from the network, or various LiveCDs, such as "Zver CD", which include a fairly large set of tools for system recovery. Plus, in such assemblies, everything is brought to a more or less understandable state, so that you can always find treasured items in the style of "check the integrity of Windows", etc.
- Open the start menu
- Enter "create" (without quotes) in the line "Find programs and files"
- Select "Create System Repair Drive"
- A dialog box will open listing your CD / DVD drives
- Insert a blank disk and select the desired disk
- Click the "Create Disc" button
Alternative way: Control Panel -> System and Security -> Backup and Restore. In the left pane, select Create System Restore Disc, and then follow all steps from Step 4.
After the disc is burned, put the disc somewhere safe and secure. We hope you never have to get it out of there. Nevertheless, it is better to be prepared for problems than hoping at random.
Note: The created disk will allow you to quickly deal with most of the common problems that can occur with Windows. If you are having problems that the recovery disc did not handle, then most likely the problem is not as simple as it seems. Therefore, be mentally prepared that you may have to spend a little more time than you planned. However, this is exactly where you need to start anyway.
Note: Of course, you can go the other way. Namely, create disk images to quickly restore your system. Or contain a disk that duplicates the system partition, which will be launched in case of problems with the main system partition. But, this will require some knowledge (or willingness to learn) from you and a willingness to take the time and a little patience to set it up.
When your PC stops booting from its hard drive, you can run into a stalemate - unless you create a bootable rescue disk or device.
The recovery disc doesn't just start the PC, it also includes tools to help fix what's wrong with the system. It takes minutes to create a recovery drive.
Recovery disc options for all versions of Windows
There are various ways to create standalone, rescue, bootable / rescue disks. In the case of Windows 7 and 8, creating good recovery discs is quick and easy. Vista and XP also provide tools for creating recovery discs, but the process is a little more difficult.
There are also numerous third-party boot discs - both paid and free - that work with all versions of Windows. The best ones have recovery and back-to-work capabilities that far outperform Windows' native tools.
You can of course boot your PC using the original Windows installation CDs or DVDs, and they provide some basic recovery tools. But most PCs now come with installation files located in a special partition on your hard drive. Such files will not be available unless you take the time to create an emergency boot disk. In other words, the recovery partition will be useless for you in an emergency in which it will not be possible to boot your PC!
Even if you've bothered to back up your system image, you may still need a rescue disk at hand to restore the most recent image.
In Part 1 (and there are two in total) of this article, I'll cover a long line of rescue disks for XP, Vista, Windows 7, and Windows 8. I'll start with the features of Windows 8 and move back to XP. I'll also start with the built-in Windows tools and then mention some excellent third-party products - most of them free!
Next week, in Part 2, you will learn how to use these discs to boot your PC and how to get to the recovery tools they contain. I'll also share some advanced tips and tricks.
Windows 8: Create a Recovery Drive Tool
Windows 8.0 and 8.1 both include built-in Recovery Media Creator. This tool allows you to easily make a bootable recovery disk from a USB flash drive or external USB device. Windows 8.0 tools can also create bootable CDs or DVDs.
The Windows 8 Standard Recovery Device (or CD / DVD) contains a bootable recovery image — a simplified custom version of Windows 8 — that will start the PC. It also includes tools for repairing and restoring basic Windows 8. It may also include tools for resetting or updating a system based on a system image, such as those provided by computer manufacturers.
If your PC contains a manufacturer-installed recovery image available for use (usually in its own dedicated partition), Recovery Media Creator (RMC) can also add the image to a bootable recovery disc. If necessary, you can completely restore your system solely from the recovery disc. (You can even put a custom recovery image on a recovery drive. I'll cover that in Part Two.)
The Recovery Disc Creation tool is very easy to use. And here's how:
- From the administrator account, click Win + W(Windows flag key and key W) or swipe to open the Charms bar.
Figure 1. Enter "Create ...".
- Enter Creating a recovery disc(recovery drive) in the search box (in Windows 8.0, use the Search, Settings box), then click the Create a recovery drive icon when it appears. The Recovery Disc tool will open (see Figure 2).
Figure 2. Creating a recovery disc with Windows 8 is a step-by-step wizard that is easy to use.
- If your system has a recovery partition, specify whether you want to include the recovery image in the boot or recovery disk you are creating.
If the checkbox Copy the recovery partition from your computer to the recovery drive(Copy the recovery partition from the PC to the recovery drive) is displayed in black and responds to clicks, you can write the recovery image from the manufacturer of your PC to the recovery disk. Just check the box to enable this option.
If this check box is grayed out and unresponsive to a click, then you obviously cannot write the factory image to the recovery drive. However, don't worry, the recovery disc you create will still contain a bootable, stripped-down Windows 8 recovery image, as well as a standard array of recovery tools.
- Then the Create Recovery Disc tool will tell you how much disk space the recovery files and the system image will take if it is checked. Insert a USB device into your PC that is at least as large as you need. Please note that the device can be used only as a bootable recovery disc; everything else on the device will be deleted.
- If you have connected more than one USB device, then RMC will show a list of available devices. Select the one you want to make a recovery disk and click Next. The next dialog will warn you that everything on the selected USB device will be overwritten. When you're ready, click Create.
- The recovery boot image, recovery and repair tools, and the factory system image (if selected) will be copied to the recovery drive. This may take a few minutes.
- If you specified to copy the factory image, RMC will now provide you with the option to remove the OEM recovery partition from the hard drive to free up space. Delete or keep the section - you choose.
- Click Finish.
- Remove the USB device and store it in a safe place.
For more information on the Create Recovery Disc tool included with Windows 8, visit Microsoft's support page -.
Windows 7: Create System Repair Drive Tool
Windows 7 was the first Windows system to come with an automated tool for creating bootable rescue CDs or DVDs. The tool doesn't do as many features as the Windows 8 version - you can't add an OEM recovery image, for example - but it's just as easy to use. Just a few clicks and your recovery disc is ready!
And here's how:
Figure 3. Backup and Restore
- Insert a blank CD or DVD into your PC's optical burner.
- As an administrator, open the Backup and Restore app. Click Start> Control Panel> System and Security> Backup and Restore(Start> Control Panel> System and Security> Backup and Restore).
- On the left side of the window, click Create a system recovery disc(Create a system repair disc).
- Confirm if the optical drive is selected correctly. Click on Create disc(Create disc) (see Figure 4), and follow the suggested steps.
Figure 4. The Create System Repair Disc tool in Windows 7 lets you create a bootable recovery CD or DVD with just a few clicks
Note: If Windows 7 cannot find the files it needs, it will prompt you to insert the Windows installation disc.
For more information, Microsoft offers a video tutorial on its Windows 7 page.
Vista: enabling and using Create Recovery Disk
Vista SP1 Beta came with a great utility Create Recovery Disk (Create recovery disc) (recdisc.exe) (see Figure 5). But for reasons known only to Microsoft, the utility has been stripped down in all versions produced. File recdisc.exe still exists in Vista, but it doesn't function!
Figure 5. The remaining recdisc.exe file in Vista does not work by default, but with a little effort it can be made useful.
Nevertheless, enthusiasts liked the working version of the utility. So they prepared the files and made them available for download - along with how-tos. This is not an officially sanctioned solution, but it has been openly discussed and recommended by the Microsoft MVP on the Microsoft Answers forum. For example, see Microsoft Answers "" (Creating a System Repair Disc for Windows Vista).
Receive recdisk.exe not difficult, but the steps are too long to be detailed here. The VistaForums third-party forum thread titled "" (How to Create a Vista Recovery Disc) contains the best how-to instructions I know of. The only thing I would add to the how-to guide is the standard note: before making any system changes, make a backup.
If all of this is beyond your reach, try using a third-party boot disk as described below.
Windows XP: Third Party Tool Required
XP doesn't have a built-in ability to create a bootable rescue disk.
For many years, the best alternative has been UBCD4Win(stands for "Ultimate Boot CD for Windows"). But making that bootable disk is a long and complicated process that requires some technical skill and access to a full XP installation CD.
UBCD4Win is still in use and is still free, but I don't recommend it now. There is now a better remedy.
Hiren's BootCD includes an amazing array of free tools - about 100 () in total.
The CD itself is based on Linux, but you don't need to know Linux; in the text view of the application, there are simple menus for choosing the tools that you will run. (See figure 6.)
Figure 6. Hiren's BootCD includes an array of approximately 100 free repair and recovery software tools.
Strangely, Hiren's BootCD also contains a stripped-down "Mini-XP" based on a "gray" system. It is intended as a disaster recovery tool for use by owners of licensed, paid copies of XP — not as a replacement for a purchase of a license or a standard XP installation. Within its limited tasks, it works great. When your regular (licensed and paid) Windows XP system won't boot, MiniXP with Hiren's BootCD can help you start it up again.
You can get Hiren's BootCD on it. But finding a working download link can be tricky - the page contains some distracting alternative download links for unsuitable tools.
Figure 7. Valid download link for Hiren's BootCD
All versions of Windows: free recovery discs
If built-in Windows tools aren't available or don't work for you, there are many free bootable recovery discs available for free. Like Hiren's BootCDs, most are Linux-based and come with a wide range of pre-configured maintenance and recovery tools.
Here are four of the best ones:
- Trinity Rescue Kit(free or voluntarily paid) - specially designed for recovery operations on Windows machines, but can also be used for Linux recovery issues. It defaults to a simple keyboard-text menu system, and a command line is also available on Linux.
- Ultimate Boot CD(free;) - contains over 100 easy-to-use repair and diagnostic tools, keyboard-text menu interface.
- SystemRescueCd(free) - Allows basic recovery tools to be used in a hybrid text / graphics Linux environment.
- Ubuntu Rescue Remix(free;, offers a range of open source data recovery and technical forensic tools. However, this product is almost entirely based on Linux command line work, which can make it difficult for people accustomed to mouse interfaces. ...
Automated Easy Recovery Essentials
Instruments Easy Recovery Essentials from NeoSmart Technologies deserve a separate discussion. They are favorably mentioned in almost every Internet forum dedicated to Windows recovery.
This is partly because the tools are pretty good and can work on all versions of Windows - XP, Vista, Win7, Win8, Windows Server.
But the popularity of these tools grew in part because they were free. While NeoSmart discs are still classified as free in many online discussion forums, they are now actually commercial products. Prices in the US start at $ 20 for the home edition of Easy Recovery Essentials and end at $ 75 for the Server edition. You can find a list of all versions and prices for.
For a really modest price, you get a bootable iso image that you can download and burn to CD, DVD, or USB device. Once launched, Easy Recovery Essentials enables highly automated recovery capabilities. In fact, many complex recovery operations can be started with one simple click, without requiring any further user input.
You can get an idea of how easy it is to use these tools in the NeoSmart demo video. NeoSmart also offers a money back guarantee.
Which recovery tool is right for you?
I suggest you start with the tools available in Windows if possible. They handle most common tasks and maybe everything you need. They provide the usual operations, as well as some unusual ones. Hey, you already paid for them!
If Windows tools don't provide what you need, try the free Linux-based bootable recovery discs. While the Linux environment may be unfamiliar to most Windows users - especially the Linux command line tools - there is usually enough documentation to help you get past any rough edges.
If neither built-in Windows tools nor free Linux-based tools work for you, then commercial tools may be ideal. NeoSmart's Easy Recovery Essentials tools, in particular, work well, are very easy to use, and come with a money-back guarantee.
Next week: you will learn how to use these recovery discs to boot your computer and get to the tools they contain. I will also offer some additional tips and tricks. Stay with us!
If your Windows system "breaks down" so that it does not even boot and you cannot do anything about it, then one of the correct options to bring the system back to life is to restore it from a previously created image, that is, from a backup. To do this, you need a special bootable disk called a recovery disk that will allow you to start the recovery process from an image. And also a regular installation disk or USB flash drive with Windows will do. In this article I will tell you in detail what a recovery disc is and what exactly you may need it for.
What is a system recovery disc and what is it for?
A system recovery disc is a bootable CD / DVD disc or flash drive that contains a special program that allows you to use various options to restore it in the event of a Windows breakdown. You can boot from this disk even before Windows boots, that's why it is called bootable, this is its peculiarity and usefulness in the event of critical situations.
How does it work when Windows starts normally? You turn on the computer, after which, for a few seconds, the computer components are checked (you do not even notice this process) and then Windows starts to load.
In the case of booting from the system recovery disk (as well as from, in general, any bootable disk or flash drive), after carrying out test checks of the computer hardware, Windows will not boot. Instead, the computer will start booting from the inserted disk or flash drive.
In what follows, I will use the terms "recovery disk" and "bootable disk" without mentioning the USB flash drive each time. Because a recovery disc and a bootable disc can always be not only a CD / DVD disc, but also a USB flash drive!
Below is an example of a common situation that can arise for any user, from beginner to advanced ...
At one point, Windows crashes and it's okay if you could at least load it. That is, in this case, while in the system itself, you could try to fix the problem in various ways, for example, roll back the system to a previous state or start Windows recovery from a previously created image (backup).
But what to do in a situation when Windows even refuses to boot? You, as usual, turn on the computer, and Windows does not boot, for the life of me, no additional recovery tools are launched in any way.
In this case, the Windows recovery disk can help you out. When you boot from this disk, a special graphical shell (program) will open, with which you can run various Windows diagnostics and recovery tools.
This is what this shell looks like on the example of a recovery disc for Windows 8:
The shell looks just like a regular Windows installation disc. It will have available various options for diagnosing Windows and ways to restore it.
For example, here you can start a system restore to a previous state, i.e. roll back. If this does not help, then through the same shell, you can start the Windows recovery process from a previously created image.
Recovery disc and Windows backup (image) are not the same!
Do not confuse the concept of "recovery disk" and "Windows backup" (image), they are completely different things!
Recovery disc, as you should have understood from the above, this is a boot disk that allows you to start a special shell, in which you can try to restore Windows in various ways if it does not boot.
Windows image- This is a Windows backup (in other words "archive"), that is, a copy of the entire hard disk partition on which you have Windows installed, along with all programs, settings, and your files. With this copy, you can restore Windows at any time with all programs installed at the time of the copy.
How to create a backup copy of Windows to restore it in case the system does not boot, described
So, if you do not have a recovery disk, then you cannot restore the system from an image if your Windows does not boot. Simply because you will not be able to start this recovery process in any way.
You need to understand that the recovery disc is just a shell for the ability to run various recovery options!
How do I create a recovery disc for the version of Windows I want?
On the issues of creating recovery discs for various operating systems, I wrote several articles separately, so as not to pile up a lot of information in one.
In the articles, you will not find the possibility of creating a recovery disc for Windows XP, because this system has long been outdated, is not officially supported by the Microsoft developer, and there has not yet been such a thing as a recovery disc in it.
Conclusion
A recovery disk can help you out in a critical situation when the system crashes, does not start, and you cannot find simple solutions to the problem or cannot apply them for some reason. It is better to have such a disk just in case, or, if so, an installation disk with the required operating system, because it also has recovery functions!
In order to always be able to run various recovery tools for the Windows operating system, even if it is completely out of order and does not even start, you may need a special recovery disc. This article will discuss how you can prepare a recovery disc for the aging Windows 7 operating system.
In more modern versions of Windows, that is, in the 8th and 10th, a recovery disc can be created directly through the interface of these OS both on a regular CD / DVD disc and on a USB flash drive. Or use one of the alternative options, that is, a regular installation disc with the same version of Windows, which also contains recovery tools, or create a disc using the Media Creation Tools.
But in Windows 7, you don't really roam. In this system, built-in tools can create a recovery disc only on a CD / DVD disc. Not a flash drive is impossible, or rather, you can, of course, but for this you have to, as they say, "puff", dig deeper into the console and other programs. This option is for beginners, well, it doesn’t work. But on the other hand, you can write a regular Windows 7 installation image to a USB flash drive and use the recovery tools through it.
Using the Windows 7 installation disc as a recovery disc
CD / DVD discs are already out of fashion, they are used less and less and laptops are increasingly sold without disk drives, since they no longer make much sense. Imagine, Windows can be installed officially from a USB flash drive, any boot program can also be written to a USB flash drive, movies on TVs can be watched from a USB flash drive, music in the car can be listened to from a USB flash drive.
Therefore, when it is possible to write programs and installation images to a USB flash drive, use this option. Because a flash drive always works faster, it is more reliable than a disk, because disks can be easily damaged and no longer work.
Under the flash drive above, I also meant such a device as an external USB hard drive (USB-HDD). In order not to get confused in the future, I will call all devices like flash drives USB disks.
So, to the topic. In Windows 7, you cannot use standard tools to write a recovery disc to a USB drive. Therefore, the only option is to write the entire installation image with Windows 7 to a USB flash drive, that is, the disk from which you can install this version of Windows.
To do this, you need:
Create a Windows 7 Recovery CD / DVD
If for some reason it would be more convenient for you to burn the Windows 7 recovery disc to a CD / DVD, then you can do this without additional programs, right from the interface of this system.
To do this, you need:
The disc will be burned in a few minutes!
Alternatively, you can use a regular Windows installation disc burned to DVD instead of a dedicated recovery CD / DVD.
Conclusion
In the event that Windows 7 crashes and does not start, the recovery disk can help you out a lot, because without it, in the event of a completely inoperative system, you will not be able to use any standard recovery tools that can bring the system back to life. Therefore, you need to have at least an installation disk with Windows at hand, on which various recovery modes are built-in.
Greetings, dear readers.
Computers often fail for a variety of reasons. If this issue is directly related to the operating system, reinstalling is the best solution. But what if there are important files left on the main drive or desktop? After all, when rewriting, everything will be deleted. The solution is a tool such as a Windows 7 System Restore from a disc. This function allows you to return the operating system to work when the latter refuses to boot.
In addition to a malfunctioning computer, we also need a Windows boot disk. And it can be either a plastic carrier or a flash drive. Moreover, it is desirable that this is the same image from which the current shell was installed. After all, otherwise, due to the version mismatch, the process may not go.
If the element from which the current system was installed is lost, try to find it on the Internet on another computer. Download the disc and save it to your hard drive.
After the system image is on one of the partitions, it must be scanned for viruses using Comodo Internet Security, then correctly written to a portable device. To do this, use one of the many programs. For example, I like Rufus... The application allows you to quickly cope with the task. It has an intuitive interface, so everyone can create a disc.
Procedure( )
There are many reasons why Win 7 can fail so much that it stops loading. To solve the problem, you need to use a tool that allows you to return everything to its place. It runs through BIOS:
We reboot or turn on the computer.
After the first characters appear on the screen, press " Del". The section we need will load. Sometimes the keys " F2», « F10», « F12"Or others - it all depends on the manufacturer of the motherboard. The corresponding prompts usually appear on the monitor.
After getting to the right place, go to the tab " Boot».
Here we need to set "". We make the computer boot from a portable device, be it a CD or a USB flash drive.
After that, the system will restart and an inscription should appear on the black screen, which says that you need to use any button to start from the recovery disk.
Then the Windows installation will start. We set the language, time and other elements. Click " Further».
We get to the main installation window. At the bottom, select the link “ System Restore».
Next, a search will begin for all installed operating systems on the computer. Then a dialog box appears with various options. Click " Further". As a result, we can be offered two options (it all depends on the initial distribution): a window for selecting tools or system diagnostics will start working.
The first makes it possible to choose one of several directions of future movements. You will find all the information you need in the tips.
The second leads to the fact that the tool is launched, trying to fix existing problems on its own. It usually takes some. If everything went well, users can only restart the device. The reason can be found in advance by following the link “ Show diagnostics ...».
